To Save a Hero
by Luxuria De'Voire
Summary: Everything is pixel perfect in the arcade until a new gaming section is added along with the newest consoles, causing tension to rise. And after the owner installs an update to Sugar Rush, Vanellope goes missing. Ralph must journey to these new worlds to find his friend, but to succeed he will have to join forces with the mysterious 'Commandos', characters of the new video games.
1. Chapter 1

Hello, fellow fanfictioners! I just can't hold it in anymore...I LOVED Wreck-It Ralph! Oh my god, seriously, one of the best Disney films I've seen in a looonngg time. And I'll admit, I went to see the movie because I'm a gamer and I felt compelled to, but WOW this film just went beyond my expectations.

Anyway, I'm starting this story with a huge grin on my face, and I simply can't stop writing it :)

For all of the readers following my other stories, I hope you enjoy this one just as well. And, if you haven't seen Wreck-It Ralph...GO. NOW. Sgt. Calhoun DEMANDS IT!

I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of, _To Save a Hero_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any entitlement to the Wreck-It Ralph film, the plethora of video game characters present in this fic, nor am I affiliated in any way with Disney Productions. The story I have produced is in fact my own, however, the entirety is written merely for fan-fictioning entertainment-not for profit.**_

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_Loading: Please Wait_

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_**To Save a Hero**_

The sound of a quarter being pressed into the cold, metal slot filled the corners of the pixel world. As it slid in, bright red letters flashed on the screen.

**PRESS START**

The young boy controlling the game's fate pressed the big red button with a curious gaze.

"_I'm gonna wreck it!"_

The child smiled.

_Life's been great. A couple years have passed, but honestly I stopped keeping track. You see, funny thing is, when you actually love your job and the people you work with, you never seem to count the hours til closing time, let alone retirement. Yeah, things have been great here._

Ralph felt the Nicelanders hoist him up on their shoulders with grunts of effort. The bad guy turned around to see Felix give him a subtle thumbs up and smile. At Felix's side, Q-bert gave a joyful look, wiggling his trunk, to which Ralph returned with a small grin of his own.

_True, things don't exactly change or get rearranged—variety's probably the only thing we lack. But at the same time, every day is an adventure. Heh, especially with the new guys: Q-bert and the gang really make things interesting._

Then, he turned his attention to the screen he performed behind. Through the pixel clouds hovering in the air and past the thick, glass window, he saw the best racer in the entire arcade. Vanellope smiled cheerily at her first-person player, her teeth white as diamonds, which surprised Ralph considering how much candy the little twerp ate. She held up the player's well-earned trophy and both gamer and character cheered over their victory.

Ralph smiled.

_I don't know how the kid does it, but being the number one most desired player for the past two years has kept the kids coming to play Sugar Rush from dawn til dusk. She's a natural, and she inspires me to do my very, baddest, best. She's my hero. Not that I'd ever tell the barnacle—we all know she'd tease me til I run out of lives. _

With a single push, the nine-foot giant went flying off of the building, tumbling through the air. Then, with a splat, he landed in the all-too-familiar mud pit. His smile was still there.

'_Hm, at least it's not chocolate' _Ralph thought as he waited for the last game of the day to come to a finish. The INSERT COIN letters along with the game's title returned to populate the screen. Ralph sighed.

"Another great day, Ralphie!" Mary cried out in a happy yet shrill tone as she handed the bad guy a towel.

"Thanks, Mary." He took the towel and wiped his face and hair. "By the way, great scream of terror today. Definitely one of your best."

A large, pixelated blush formed on the Nicelander's cheeks, "Ohhooohhoooo, oh you!" she giggled.

Standing, Ralph turned to see the rest of the crowd fixing up the building and congratulating each other on another successful day. Felix was petting Coily's head, while Q-bert fixed up the pixel-hedges.

_Yeah, it's a crazy, wreckin' life alright—_

Ralph walked towards his fellow Nicelanders and waved at Felix, who waved back with a huge, toothy grin.

_-but it's the best one out there._

_Chapter I: Rumor Gone Viral_

"Wow, Ralph! Sounds like you really took a turn-around. Sure those Cy-bugs didn't konk your noggin'?"

Tapper said with his raspy voice while handing the man another signature root beer.

"HA. Ha. Very funny, Tapper." Ralph replied with an unamused expression, exaggerating each 'HA'.

The crowd was pretty big tonight. Mostly good guys, but still enjoyable for the guy with big hands. Ralph turned around in his bar stool and leaned against the bar top, root beer in hand. With Buckner and Garcia humming through the dusty speakers, the atmosphere was both chill and hyped.

In the corner, a small group was playing billiards. Knuckles the echidna held a long cue stick in hand and positioned himself properly over the table before hitting the white ball. The small balls rolled around spastically before the six ball and four ball went into the same pocket. Scowls plagued the other player's faces, a cocky smirk painted on the red echidna's.

Sipping his drink quietly, Ralph continued to watch the game of pool. Zangief threw his hands in the air with a proud face after his lucky shot, smacking a crocodile from Frogger in the snout with his cue stick. The rest of the group playing laughed hysterically.

Smirking, Ralph took a swig of his root beer leaving foam around his mouth. Suddenly, his ear twitched at the sound of whispering. Glancing to his left down the bar, two characters looked grim, hovering close to each other whispering almost inaudible words. One was Expresso the ostrich from Donkey Kong, whose neck was bent down just so he could talk to his friend, and Falco Lombardi. The blue feathered jet pilot ran a hand through his pointed feather-tuft,

"I dunno, Expresso. My bets are we won't last after the holiday season."

Confusion swarmed Ralph's head and the worry became visible on his face. Leaning a bit to his left, Ralph tried his best to focus on the conversation, his large ears aiding him.

The ostrich grimaced, "Can't anyone do anything about it? I mean, maybe the new guys aren't, you know, _bad_. Maybe they just want to share the arcade."

The falcon's eyes shot open wide as he slammed his fist on the wood causing the ostrich to wince,

"Listen, bro—They. Are. _Commandos_," Falco took a breath to calm his feathers, and looked down at the bar top. "And they're not here to make friends. They're here to replace us…because we're getting the plug pulled."

Ralph couldn't believe his ears. '_Commandos? What was a commando?' _he thought.

Tapper was cleaning a glass a few feet away behind the counter. Careful not to draw any unwanted attention, Ralph turned his head a little so that his eyes could see the barman.

"Pssst! Tapper—" he whispered loudly, his brows furrowed.

Looking up quickly, Tapper waddled over,

"Hmm Hmmm, Ralph. What ya want? Don't tell me ya need me to drive you home, heheh—" the moustached man chuckled with his gruff voice before continuing to clean the mug in his hand with a rag.

"No, no, no. Listen, Tapper," Ralph looked around. "Do you know anything about this…_Commando_ business." The giant man hunched over, trying to block out their conversation from the rest of the bar, which just kept getting more populated by the minute.

The bartender stopped his cleaning. His eyes were fixed on the glass.

He sighed, "I shouldn't talk about this here—"

"Tapper," Ralph pleaded with his worried, yet angry eyes. He wasn't going to let anybody go turbo or try to mess up the arcade. Not with what happened last time. He almost lost his friends and his very life. "I need to know."

Tapper set the glass down and placed both of his hands on the counter,

"The owner just installed a new room in the arcade. The DEMO Dome—that's what he's calling it. I'm not too sure, but rumor has it that the room is filled with…single-player games."

"_Single-player_? What is it, some sort of lone wolf, one character deal?"

"It's not like an arcade game, Ralph. There aren't any levels, no bonus worlds, or lives. The game…doesn't end."

Ralph froze. Those two words lingered in his thoughts, and, both stunned and curious, he wondered how it was possible. When did the characters get a break? Were they on a full-time shift?! The thought made him feel light-headed.

Tappers continued, looking absolutely mortified.

"It's like an infinite level, and, a-and—_cheezits_, Ralph, why did you want to know?"

Sighing, the man in overalls looked away, thoughts running wild through his mind.

The bartender could tell something was up, and he too let out a long sigh before picking up another glass to clean. As the breath left his lips, Mario and Peach walked into the bar, causing a friendly uproar to ensue as people sitting at the bar raised their glasses, and both friend and foe alike greeted the popular couple. Mario—fashionably late, as usual.

Ralph watched the two become the center of attention, a surprising smile appearing on his face. A cough emitted from the bartender,

"Look, it's just a rumor. No one's even seen these, 'Commandos'. If you ask me, it's just a gust of drama for the sake of stirrin' something up."

"Thanks, Tapper." The bad guy gave a weak grin.

He looked over to his right to see if Falco and Expresso were still present, but only a tip, two gold coins, were left where they had been sitting. His big eyebrows furrowed,

"But, if there were other games with these solo characters…do you really think they'd give us the boot."

"Honestly? No, I don't. Only because no other bar-game is better than ole' Tappers!" The bartender laughed.

Ralph's mood instantly lightened as he smirked, "You got that right. Alright, bud, I'll see you 'round."

Flipping a coin onto the bar top with his enormous fingers, Ralph stood from the stool and waved goodbye.

"Anytime, Wreck-it. Anytime."

XXX

"_Commandos_? Heavens to Betsy, Ralph, where in the world did ya hear about such a thing?!"

Felix was overreacting. Again.

His brown eyes pleading for his partner to listen with some sense, Ralph sat patiently on the plush couch. The Penthouse was dark, with it being such an early hour and all, nobody else in the building was awake. Fix-it Felix was pacing the floor now with his 8-bit, moving legs.

"I mean, there's absolutely no way they could exist." He hit his fist into his open palm.

Sgt. Calhoun sat with her legs crossed in another chair, her eyes deep in thought.

"Brick-breaker over here's got a reason to wet his pants, though. These lone wolf fighters sound dangerous." She said with a stern look.

Felix stopped in his tracks before looking at his wife with wide-eyes, "Honey—"

"Guys, guys, calm down. It could just be some stupid prank for all we know." Ralph added.

The sergeant turned to face him with a glare,

"And if it's not?"

The room went quiet again. The monotonous ticking of a clock the only sound that inhabited the air. Ralph held his hands together over his knees, Tamora had her arms crossed and blonde bangs covering his eyes, and Felix stood still near the large, glass window.

Then, Fix-it turned to face his two companions,

"For now, I say we just go about our lives normally. There's no reason to suddenly be paranoid all the time, especially if it does turn out to be a false rumor."

No one said anything until a feminine yet gruff voice replied

"For once, I agree with you." The sergeant said, uncrossing her legs and smiling softly at her husband.

"Thanks, sugar doll." Felix grinned ear to ear.

Tamora stood from her seat and gave a signal with her hand to her shorter husband, who, catching her drift, quickly shuffled past her and towards the exit.

"Wreck-it." She spoke loudly.

The volume in her voice startled Ralph a bit, causing him to flinch. She gazed down at him with piercing eyes, which suddenly softened, "Thank you." she said with a gentle tone.

Ralph straightened up, both shocked by the woman's sudden change in character and for the thank you, which he wasn't quite sure what it was for. Tamora turned her head to look at Felix, who was holding the door open for her like a true gentleman. She looked back at the man in front of her.

"For always looking out for him."

Then, with her index and middle-finger extended, she saluted him as she turned to leave. Chuckling to himself, Ralph stood too, crossing his big arms.

As the sergeant walked through the open doorway, Felix stood as stiff as a board with a soldier-like face, which caused the woman to smirk. Felix closed the door behind him, but waved at Ralph before completely shutting the door.

Now alone in the penthouse, the overall-hobo-man turned to look out the large window. The lights from the neighboring arcade games lit up beautifully like rainbow stars and party-lights. Ralph smiled as he laughed softly,

"Psshhh, What am I worried about? Everything'll be just fine."

Ralph said as he looked at the thrilled, smiling image of Vanellope on the side of the Sugar Rush game.

_What could go wrong?_

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_Thank you so much for reading! I hope you all enjoyed it :)_

_Leave a review and tell me what you think!_

_Until Next Time... :3_


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! I got another chapter for ya :D

Thank you all so much for all of the reviews, favorites, and alerts, and in so quick a time, too! You all are the best :)

**HAVE SOME CANDY ***hehehe :3*

Enjoy chapter two of, _To Save a Hero_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any entitlement to the Wreck-It Ralph film, the plethora of video game characters present in this fic, nor am I affiliated in any way with Disney Productions. The story I have produced is in fact my own, however, the entirety is written merely for fan-fictioning entertainment-not for profit.**_

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_Loading: Please Wait..._

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_Chapter II: A Tremor in Wake_

*dingaling-aling!*

The bell chimed as someone walked through the front door.

"Hey, dad—" a eighteen-year-old girl called out.

Her dark brown hair pulled back in a messy bun, the brown-eyed young woman carried a small cardboard box in her arms filled to the brim with video games. She wore a large blue sweater with the name of her university on it, denim jeggings, and knee-high leather boots. She looked around for her father, Mr. Litwak.

"Dad?"

A quizzical look plagued her face as she looked around for her father. It was two hours before the store opened, so she knew her old man was somewhere around the arcade. She placed the box on top of the main coin exchange counter when suddenly, her father popped up from behind the counter causing the girl to jump.

"Ahh! Dad!" she pursed her lips, her heart racing.

"Oh. Hi sweetie! What's happenin', yo?" the man tried to imitate the younger generations in an attempt to be cool…but it needed a lot of work.

"Everything's fine…_dog?_" she replied, smiling in amusement.

Pushing the box forward, the girl rummaged through the many cases of video games. Her father looked at the box and his eyes widened, impressed by the number of games. She pulled one out and opened the case, checking to make sure the game was inside before placing it back with its friends.

"Here's the main collection. I even brought in my most recently finished ones. You're lucky I'm feeling generous enough to hand over my _Bethesda _and_ Enix_ games—"

The old man laughed as he walked out from behind the counter,

"Oh, don't worry, Ginny. You can keep'em."

The girl, _Ginny_, stood quietly in shock, confused by her father's words. The man, in his cute, old-fashioned suspenders, made his way through the forest of arcade games to the other side of the store. His daughter followed with a perplexed look in her brown eyes.

"What? But I thought you said you wanted my games for the store? Besides, I can't take them all to college with me."

Her father merely chuckled to himself before stopping in front of something.

"I had one of my 'tech guru' friends come in last night," He raised his hand up to gesture at the sight before him. "Just installed it."

Ginny's jaw dropped before she forced it to close back. In front of her stood an enormous plasma television with an incredible machine, colorful lights and all, built under and behind it. Buttons and arrow keys adorned the front of it, along with a single disk drive on the side.

"What is it?" she said simply, still in awe of the grand structure.

Mr. Litwak pointed to the disk drive,

"You put in a game, it copies it in the system, you create a demo version for the game, set a password for the full trial, and voila! Your own electronic wardrobe of games."

With his hands on his hips, Mr. Litwak was grinning ear to ear. Probably due to the fact that he was now what the kids would consider to be _'hip'_. Ginny looked over at her father, happy that her father had found something new to relish in.

Ever since she could hold a controller, her father was teaching her how to be the best gamer in the arcade. She loved games. Not because of her dad, but because of the compelling story line, the complex characters, and the true connection one felt with the protagonist of the game.

Of course, she never could beat her father at anything. Well, at least fairly—he'd always let her win. Now that she was going off to college, she was relieved and glad that her father could manage without her constant company. The arcade kept him going, and this new machine would keep the arcade going.

She ran a hand through her soft, lengthy hair,

"Wow. I have to say I'm impressed."

"Yep. It's pretty crazy—like my Nana."

Then, with eyes of concern, Ginny looked over at her father,

"Dad—"

The man replied with a hum.

"—Exactly how much did _it_ cost?"

The old man chortled, holding his stomach as he laughed. He turned around and patted his daughter's shoulder.

"Oh, don't worry, Gin'. You'll still be going to college."

"I better be!" she replied with a pretend-angry look.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Mr. Litwak reached into his pocket and pulled out a flat, square case with a disc inside. "The same guy sold me this lil' thing. Says it's the hottest download available on the market."

He handed it to his daughter, who held it with curiosity. She looked up with both eyebrows raised.

"For which game?"

"Sugar Rush. You mind putting it in?" He said as he made his way back to the counter.

"Sure thing, dad. Let me just start putting the new games into the…the…"

"_DEMO Dome!_" he cried out with a rustic voice.

Ginny shook her head.

"Right, right. The demo dome." She wiggled her fingers for effect as she giggled.

XXX

Tires screeched and the sound of cherry bomb explosions filled the air. With a pink cotton candy overcast dotting the sky, the sun lit up the candy-world below, and the fans basked in it's warm, melting rays. Jolly ranchers fanned themselves with their straw hats while Sugar plums hid under the cool shade of their lustrous sun hats. It was a hot day for both the racers and fans, both in the air and on the track.

With Taffyta in the lead, the heart-heads cheered wildly despite the draining heat wave. Her classy ride squealed stridently as she pulled a sharp turn, a smile on her lips and a lollipop in her mouth. The finish line was in sight and she eased onto the gas with a proud aura about her. Suddenly, a blue flash appeared before her revealing a smirking Vanellope that was driving backwards,

"Afternoon, Taffyta _Second-_fudge." She jeered with a wink.

Taffyta gasped before rolling her eyes at the pun.

Grabbing her wheel, the princess swerved her cart around and floored the gas pedal, shifting into the final gear.

Jumping around in the stands, wearing a cheer-hand with the letter V on it, Ralph whistled loudly. A huge, toothy grin appeared on his face as he witnessed his friend take the lead.

"Whoo-hoo! Yeah!" he cried out.

Q-bert hopped up and down next to the giant, smiling with his trunk.

Vanellope caught sight of her friends and gave a salute as she crossed the finish line. Rainbow confetti shot out of cannons as all of the racers followed behind her. The fans (and nuts) were suddenly showered with candy rain released from the Waffle Cone-Fighters, performing jet planes, that trailed colored smoke through the sky.

Stopping the cart, Vanellope hopped out and began to wave at her loyal subjects with a magnificent smile. She looked up to see the jets spelling out her name in pixie stick smokes. She howled with her hands cupping her mouth,

"Now that's a cherry-topped finish!" she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

A hand touched her shoulder. The dark-haired girl turned with a surprised look to see the warm eyes of her rival, Taffyta.

A small object was shoved into Vanellope's hand as Taffyta walked past,

"Nice race, _president_." The girl smiled before joining her friends.

Vanellope looked down at her hand and opened it to reveal a vanilla lollipop. Vanellope smiled as she lifted the treat to her mouth and watched Taffyta laugh with Francis and Candlehead, both of whom made the roster for the day.

The small racer was suddenly snatched up and thrown into the air. Gasping from the heave upwards, Vanellope turned around in midair and her smile instantly grew in size,

"Ralph!" she cried as her best friend caught her with ease.

"Hey there, president of first place!" Ralph returned the smile and set the girl down, kneeling down.

He handed her a bouquet of candy-rock sticks, twizzlers, large lollipops, and chocolate flowers. Vanellope rolled her hazel eyes staring at Ralph.

"Flowers? Really, Ralph, since when did my lieutenant of the lame become such a gentleman."

"A simple thank you would suffice." Ralph laughed.

"And geez, what's with the get-up?" she cackled as she poked his cream soda-drink hat with curly straws and all.

The bad guy fanned her pointing bouquet away as he held up his cheer-hand, "What, this stuff? Only the best attire on a day as beautiful as this!" he raised his large hands high to express his enthusiasm.

"Uh-huh." Vanellope replied.

The girl felt a nudge at her leg, and looked down to find a familiar, orange friend. She wrapped her tiny arms around the small creature,

"Q-bert! I've missed ya, little guy!" she gave him a quick noogie before pulling away, "Was this your first race?!" she shouted.

"%&*#!" the trunked-creature replied.

"Oh my gosh, it was! How'd ya like it?"

Vanellope proceeded to scratch Q-bert's chin, causing the little guy to wag his trunk and purr.

Confusion clouded Ralph's face, his big eyebrows furrowed,

"Whoa—wait! Vanellope, since when do you speak Q-bertese?"

The girl turned to her giant friend with raised eyebrows.

"Felix taught me." She winked.

XXX

After the race, Vanellope headed back to her palace with Ralph. Q-bert said his goodbyes, since he had his own personal tour of Sugar Rush to attend with Wynnchel and Duncan, the security guards.

There was still a bit of time left before the arcade opened, and Ralph figured he had enough time to spare to hang out with his friend.

But Vanellope knew something was up. Ralph was her best friend and was always there for her, but this excessive amount of kindness and jubilee was…odd. She might have been nine years old, but she had acquired enough experience through bullying to know when someone was being a fake. Not that Ralph was a fake! Maybe just _acting_ fake…

"Ralph. Is something going on?" she asked calmly as she sat on the throne, which she had decorated to look a bit more…_Vanellope_. Random sprinkles were peppered all over the seat, along with hot tamales and rainbow licorice pieces.

"Going on, what—what's going on? I dunno what you're talking about, ahem, um..." Ralph stuttered with his hands behind his back

"You can tell me. Seriously, how bad could it be with Turbo gone and all?" she cracked a smile at the mention of the nut-job's name.

Ralph bit his lower lip. He couldn't… To think there was now a ticking clock over their heads counting down the seconds before they would be unplugged. He just couldn't. He didn't want to think about losing his friend. No, he wouldn't lose her literally—the two characters would simply be game-less and have to live in the station—but he knew, without racing, Vanellope wouldn't be the same.

He took in a deep breath

"Vanellope…"

Suddenly the walls shook violently, and the ground trembled beneath them Pieces of icing fell from the rafters and shattered on the frozen marble ice cream floor. Ralph cried out in alarm as he tried to keep himself from falling over, while Vanellope held onto her throne with a vice grip.

Then the tremor stopped; the world stood still, but the sounds continued to echo through the air like a monster's creeping moans.

Ralph and Vanellope remained rigid in their positions. The silence was so thick, the two could hear their own breaths escape them. Ralph spoke with a deep, unsteady voice,

"What was that?"

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Can I get a...

WHOOP-DEE-WHOOOOOOP

Alright, I hope you all enjoyed it! Reviews and your incredible support are a healthy and natural part of my writing diet ahaha :)

**But seriously.**

LOL, I kid ya! Anyway, thanks again for reading

_Until Next Time... :3_


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone! Sorry for the late update-it's exam week right now, so I had to finish up the semester before I could start writing. SO GLAD I could squeeze in this chapter though (SO MANY FEELS). Anyway, good news!

**I GOT INTO COLLEGE**

Whoop-dee-whoooop! It was my number one, and I committed today :D. SO EXCITED~

Anyway, enjoy the latest installment (haha punny~) of _To Save a Hero_

WARNING: it's a bit on the sad side :'(

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any entitlement to the Wreck-It Ralph film, the plethora of video game characters present in this fic, nor am I affiliated in any way with Disney Productions. The story I have produced is in fact my own, however, the entirety is written merely for fan-fictioning entertainment-not for profit.**_

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_Loading: Please Wait..._

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_Chapter III: An Empty Embrace_

Chaos ensued across the candy-coated game. From the factory to the race tracks, everyone was in a tizzy. Ambassadors from each region were running in and out of the throne room, trying to squeeze an answer out of President Vanellope: 'what was going on?'

The princess/president did her very best to remain calm and retain some of her sarcastic humor while replying to her loyal subjects, but as soon as the guards herded them out of the room to give their leader some air, Vanellope broke down. She had never had to face such a crisis before.

Ralph, who had patiently waited for his young friend to finish up her squabbling meeting leaned against the wall as he watched Vanellope sigh with a worried look plaguing his face.

Moments after the rumbling incident, a giant disc-shaped moon had appeared in the sky, a loading bar and timer floating in front of it. In bright red letters, the timer read,

**9:48**

A small strip of green began to fill the loading bar.

No one knew what to think of the strange appearance, but everyone was afraid. Vanellope, especially.

The doors of the throne room burst open causing Vanellope and Ralph to swivel their heads.

"Alright, squadron Alpha I want you all guarding this post like a three-headed hound guarding the gates of Hell. Murkowski! I said _guard_ not _lounge_."

Sergeant Calhoun and her manly crew of soldiers began to set up a security perimeter almost immediately around the throne. The blonde, fierce woman approached the President with a strong stride.

"We came as soon as we heard. I've got my men stationed with the main sectors of Sugar Rush. The outskirts and remaining provinces are in the protective hands of the candy legions, and the skies are under Fox McCloud's jurisdiction."

Calhoun pulled out her master gun and began to polish it. Vanellope smiled brightly at the commanding officer.

"Thank ya, Sergeant super-cool."

The older woman smirked.

"No problem, kid."

Ralph stumbled towards the sergeant, "H-Hey, where's Felix?"

"In the field. Trying to figure out what in blazes that spinning disc of doom is."

XXX

"There we go." Ginny grinned as she let the upgrade do its thing.

She held the manual in her hands, mumbling the instructions to herself.

"Plug in disc upgrade, wait til loading is done, yada yada yaaa… Oh! After upgrade has taken effect, allow game to sit for 24 hours before shutting off console by turning off arcade game—" she flipped to the next page. "Then, press power button to start up game."

_'Sounds easy enough.' _She thought with a shrug.

She dropped the manual on the floor before standing up again. The page flipped over to final step of instructions she had not read—_Remove_ _upgrade_ _disc_.

Picking up her full cardboard box, she headed over to the Demo Dome to install her games.

XXX

Everyone was literally chewing off their pixelated fingernails, waiting for news on the dilemma. Calhoun remained calm, however, keeping a look out through the castle's windows. Ralph paced the floor angrily, frustrated that he couldn't do anything.

The clock in the sky ticked away the seconds.

**5:19**

Then the entry door creaked open. Sour Bill peaked through, his eyes droopy yet frightened. Even the undelightful tasting candy had been affected by the scare.

"Your Majestttyyyyy." He drawled out.

Vanellope hopped down from her throne.

"Yes, Sour Bill?"

The green candy opened the door wider as he bowed to his side, a figure entering through the doorway.

"Fix-It Felix juuuniooorr is heeerrreeee."

"'Bout time, short stack." Calhoun said with a grin, secretly relieved to see her husband.

"Well, Felix?!" Ralph questioned, his huge hands open for answers.

Felix hopped down the long stretch of carpet, a nervous look on his usually cheeky face. Once at the center of everyone's attention, Felix took a deep breath.

"W-Well, I got some information on the doo-dad." Felix continued. "It's apparently an upgrade Litwak's installing on the game."

Everyone was silent.

"What's it do?" Duncan, the sugar-glazed officer inquired.

Felix twiddled his thumbs.

"Well, now, I'm not too sure on that part."

Ralph stepped towards Felix with a worried glare,

"_Not_ _sure?_" his anger began to boil, scared of what danger possibly lie before them.

"Nobody's sure! Supposedly it just updates and adds on to the original code of the game. It doesn't replace anything." The tiny man defended, acting as only a carrier of bad news.

Calhoun re-sheathed her gun, placing a hand on her hip.

"Well then there's nothing to worry about."

Everyone released a sigh of relief, as the soldiers began to prepare for their leave. Ralph ran a giant hand through his pixel hair, the anxiety from before washing away. Calhoun and Felix continued the discussion of the upgrade in the corner, leaving Ralph and Vanellope alone. The young president remained quiet.

"Vanellope?" Ralph asked with a smile.

His smile vanished though when he saw the look of terror on her face and concern wallowing in her wide hazel eyes. He lowered to one knee as he looked in his friend's eyes.

"Ralph…What if it doesn't recognize my code, after what Turbo did?" she sniffed.

"What if I disappear?"

Ralph was so proud of her. He could tell how hard she was trying to hide her worry and fear for the sake of her kingdom and its subjects. He put both hands on her shoudlers.

"You listen to me. I won't let anything happen to you." He grinned. "You'll be racing on those new, fancy tracks in no time."

Vanellope wiped her nose on her sleeve before smiling up at her best friend.

The room suddenly began to shake and tremble with even greater force than before. The ground slowly returned to its still self as everyone recovered from the tremor.

The clock's lettering turned bright red.

**1:19**

Ralph looked up at the clock through the windows as the aqua blue sky began to fade into a dark sunset hue. "We need to get you out of here." He said with a firm voice.

He lifted Vanellope onto his shoulder as he turned to leave the throne room.

"Ralph! Where in tarnation are you going?"

"Taking Vanellope to the station, the upgrade won't be able to touch her there."

"Negatory, _Wreck-it_." Calhoun spat, her arms crossed and leg bent as she leaned against a pillar.

Ralph stopped and turned around with a frown, waiting for an explanation. Felix bounced towards his partner.

"Everyone has to remain in the game while the upgrade is being installed. Her code is locked into the console—she can't leave."

Ralph, gently placing Vanellope on the ground, stared into Felix's eyes with concern and rage.

"So you're saying all I can do is just stand here!" He snarled.

Felix cringed at his friend's sudden outburst, but he knew that Ralph was just worried about the young racer.

A ginger-haired soldier stepped forward at attention,

"What about us, Sergeant?" he requested the information with a firm voice.

Calhoun looked at her husband, who shook his head.

"I don't know." He replied.

Silence hovered like a thick fog among the fellow characters. The clock tolled like the church bells of a grand cathedral.

**0:20**

Everyone gazed up through the glass of the windows at the dwindling numbers. Ralph's eyes widened. He pivoted his head around to face Vanellope.

Standing with her hands in her jacket pocket, she smiled sweetly at him. Ralph kneeled down.

Their eyes met, Ralph's brown ones beginning to glaze over. Vanellope lightly punched her friend's giant shoulder with a small laugh.

"Whatever happens, Ralph-y, you're still the biggest stink brain ever."

**0:09**

Ralph let out a laugh, trying to remain positive. Calhoun and Felix watched on with somber expressions on their faces.

Ralph looked away from his friend, to worried and afraid to let it show. He didn't want her to see him, the big and brave, Ralph look so pathetic.

**0:04**

"And—" Ralph looked up as she reached her hand out with a smile. "You'll always be my _hero_."

He looked down at her tiny hand with a sad, wide-eyed expression. The two suddenly embraced in a warm hug as the seconds dwindled into nothingness.

**0:00**

A giant white flash flooded the land as everything went bright and dark at once. Sparkling trails of pixels raced throughout the game fixing up old courses and morphing them into new tracks. The kingdom had changed entirely, while still retaining its bittersweet original signatures.

Ralph's eyelid twitched wildly as he struggled to open his eyes. He wrapped his arms together more tightly. The air he embraced felt cold and empty—his eyes shot open. Vanellope was gone.

He dropped his hands to the cold marble floor before squinting his eyes shut, baring his teeth as a single tear fell from his pained eyes.

"VANELLOPE!"

* * *

*wipes tear*

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! R&R please :3

_Until Next Time... :3_


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